What’s your purpose?

Why is knowing your purpose so important?

Purpose is where passion meets action. It’s the reason to get up in the morning and make the most of everyday. Purpose can provide you the fuel to complete major projects, to start a business, or to transform your mind and your body.

In my experience, a purpose allows my clients to accomplish so much more than losing 10 pounds, running a faster mile or getting stronger.

Their purpose was like a calling, compelling them to move forward even when times were difficult. It was as if they were working towards something bigger than the current goal at hand.

Let’s look at why that is.

A definition of Pur – pose – 1. the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.

It’s the reasons ‘why’ you want to accomplish your goal that holds true power. It’s almost like having a purpose provides the unwavering belief in a cause that’s bigger than your current self.

Here are three specific reasons why having a purpose can be so powerful.

1. It aligns your actions. You can work hard, burn the candle at both ends and push yourself to accomplish more. Yet, what happens when the results don’t align with your purpose? You’ll still feel like something is missing. Having a purpose ensures that the work you do, is work that’s most important to you and leaves you with a sense of not only accomplishment but of fulfillment as well.

2. It provides the fuel. It takes a tremendous amount of energy to start something new. A new exercise program or even changing one healthy habit is going to take a lot of work especially in the beginning. Knowing your purpose allows you to focus your energy in the right place when you need it most and helps you get past the rough times. And there are always rough times. Plateaus, fatigue and frustration are all part of the process. They are the price paid to accomplish your goals. Just remember your purpose every time you’re ready to throw in the towel and quit.

3. It provides the road map. Blindly setting goals (because we’re told to) isn’t enough. I’ve worked with many clients who didn’t have a clear purpose. As a result, they had difficulty reaching their goal, even when they were great goals. Their reason ‘why’ just wasn’t strong enough and they eventually stopped training because of lack of results.

You can avoid this.

Set goals that bring you closer to your purpose. If your purpose is to get off your medications because you want to be healthiest you, you can be. Then a good place to start is being active for 30 minutes every single day. Once you’ve accomplished that goal, you create a second one that takes you one step closer to your purpose. Your purpose will continue to guide you for each goal that you set.

Take some time and create your purpose today, discover what’s most important to you and why. Then realign your goals so that they sequentially bring you closer and closer to what you want to achieve.

Let me know what you discover.

Until next time,

Move better, live well.

Edward Scaduto

photo credit: s13_eisbaer via photopin cc

During the warm up portion of a training session, I was speaking to my client about my son trying out for the basketball team. My client, being a basketball player in his college days, suggested having my son work on improving just one aspect at a time when practicing, like taking shots from the free throw line. If he only makes 5 out of 10 shots, let him practice and see if he can get 6 out of 10.

When he succeeds at this goal, it will provide him a sense of accomplishment and progress. This approach to improving one task at a time will give him something to focus on and prevent him from feeling overwhelmed.

I didn’t realize it at the time but what my client shared was a very powerful principle, called the 1% rule. It’s a principle that can help many achieve their goals not only in fitness but in life.

What is the 1% rule and how can it help you improve

The 1% rule is a logical approach to making progress. Instead of focusing on a long term goal, you narrow your focus to one aspect and improve it by the smallest of amounts. It’s a simple concept and when applied correctly, it can have a powerful impact on your fitness program.

Here’s how it works.

Keeps your focus

By keeping your focus on the process of improving, not on the end results, you’ll put your time and energy where it is most needed. A martial arts saying embodies this concept, “We are measured by our results but our results are made by the process”. As an example, we may want to lose 5 pounds a week or improve our bench press by 20 pounds but it doesn’t happen by forcefully reaching for your goal a few times. It only happens when you consistently work the process and focus on making small improvements over time.

Eliminates the stress

By doing so, it eliminates pressure of perfection and the stress of expectation often associated with fitness programs. It’s easy to lose your enthusiasm when you don’t get the results you want, when you want them. By rushing and not recognizing the step by step process, we think we are failing. If one can change the thought process from the end result to succeeding at one action at a time, one can understand the fitness goal is the culmination of all the completed small actions. Working the process is success in itself because you walk away from every situation improving.

Creates the momentum you need for success

It’s important when you set out on achieving a big goal that you get some small wins under your belt. If it’s going to take you a year or two to reach your goal and you don’t get any feed back or positive affirmation then it’s going to be difficult to continue. That’s where the 1% rule comes in. These small improvements become your daily wins. Collecting your daily wins can improve your confidence, restore your enthusiasm and provide that much needed boost of motivation that you’ll need to continue making progress.

How to use the 1% rule

Pin point a specific technique or habit that you want to improve. Identify exactly how you can make it better. It can be something small, like focusing on your exercise technique or it can simply be using 1-2 extra pounds on an exercise. No matter what you decide to improve, keep your focus on that one aspect. Repeat this process every time you train.

Now it’s time to take action. Focus on improving by 1% everyday and you’ll start accumulating daily wins, it will have a snow ball effect that will carry you on to your ultimate goal. Get to it.

Move Better, Live Well,

Edward Scaduto

photo credit: paojus via photopin cc

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A lot of people start a diet with good intentions. The weight comes off fast the first couple of weeks only to see their progress slow down to a snails pace soon after. Frustration sets in and no matter how hard they try, they give up on the program all together.

Don’t let this happen to you, check out three common weight loss mistakes and discover what you can do to avoid them.

Mistake # 1 – Following a program that’s not designed for you.

A steady diet of grilled chicken, steamed brown rice and broccoli could get you great results but is it the right diet for you?

The answer to that question depends on where you are currently with your dietary habits. Do you eat healthy, natural whole foods on a regular basis? Or do you tend to eat fast or processed food?

Making a change requires a tremendous amount of time and energy and the bigger the change the more it requires.

Do this instead. Start at where you are now and make one small habit change at a time. Allow yourself a full 30 days to accomplish this change. Read this article on the best way to create a new healthy habit.

Mistake # 2 – Focusing on just the weight.

Of course you want results but if you focus strictly on the weight loss you’re not going to be happy, regardless of how many pounds you lose.

There needs to be a shift in your focus. Weight loss by itself is never enough to make a permanent change. It can provide motivation in the short term but for long term success you’re going to need more.

Do this. Instead of being weight loss driven, focus on something bigger. As an example, setting a goal to enter and finish a marathon. This will not only provide you both the short term and long term motivation needed to exercise it will also help you lose the weight.

Mistake # 3 – Trying to be perfect.

Trying to be perfect can put a lot of extra pressure on you, especially when you consider how restrictive diets can be. Even if you can manage to be perfect for a little while, will power can work for only so long before it breaks.

Do this instead. Use the 90/10 rule. Stay true to your nutrition program 90% of the time. There is a small difference in results between being perfect and allowing your self some of the foods you enjoy. The other 10% (usually 2-3 meals per week) eat a small serving of food that isn’t so diet friendly. By using this method you can eat the foods you enjoy and you’re more likely to stick with your program.

If you’re making any of these weight loss mistakes give the suggested action plans a try.  Avoid trying to be perfect, work only on one habit at a time and make sure to set a big goal that will provide you with both short term and long term motivation.

In strength and longevity,

Ed Scaduto

P.S. If you have any nutrition or fitness related questions please don’t hesitate to write a comment or email me at info@precisionfitnesstrainer.com

“You are what you eat. What would YOU like to be?” – Julie Murphy, Nutrition Across A Lifetime

Photo by Kattymouse – Photobucket

Before you figure out if the newest diet craze works or if its even a good fit for you, before you pore over testimonials, discuss it with friends and family, or even strangers on forums, ask yourself this one question first.

What is good nutrition?

Good nutrition meets the following three essential criteria and it meets all three, every time.

1. It will fortify health

Good nutrition will never ever sacrifice your health in order to lose weight or achieve low levels of body fat. This is a big one here. The premise of most diets is to lose weight at an extremely fast rate. The need to achieve extreme results can put your health at risk.

How can you tell if a nutrition program is putting your health at risk?

If your program is either inclusive or too much of one thing (the cabbage diet) or it excludes entire food groups altogether, like carbohydrates, (Atkins Diet) then it’s likely to be detrimental to you health. No one food item can provide your body with all the essential nutrients your body needs to thrive.

It’s important to closely examine every nutrition plan to make sure it fortifies your health.

Don’t sacrifice your health in order to lose a few pounds, it’s not worth it.

2. It supports performance

A good nutrition program provides all the fuel you need to be your best. Whether on the field or in the gym a solid nutrition program supports your activities by providing the energy you need to train and perform.

One of the common traits that you’ll find with many diets is that they often recommend low calorie intake. The lower calorie intake may help you lose weight but with out enough energy to exercise you’re going to see a decrease in your performance and fitness levels. This will ultimately result in lower metabolism and lean muscle mass adversely effecting your performance even further.

A good nutrition program will hep you meet your energy requirements and provide you with the right amount of protein, carbs, and essential fats you need to help you recover from your exercise sessions and athletic events.

3. It Gets results

Not that results are the primary focus of a nutrition program but achieving a healthy body weight and body fat level is important to all of us.

It’s not the you have to look like a fitness model or cut down to a low body fat percentage only seen in body builders or other physique athletes but we all need to keep our waistline and body fat percentage in check.

That’s because body fat percentage and waistline correlates with health and longevity. The higher your body fat percentage the greater your chance of acquiring health problems.

Your nutrition program should keep these levels in check and have the ability to improve them if needed.

This information can now be used as a litmus test for you and your nutrition plan. Ask yourself does your program fortify your health, support your performance and get you the results you’re looking for? If you answer yes to all three, then your program has passed with flying colors.

You know what good nutrition is all about.

If your program didn’t do so well and you need more help with your nutrition program, please contact me at 719-640-0141 or email me at info@precisionfitnesstrainer.com.

As a certified nutrition coach I can assist you in finding a good nutrition program appropriate for you or simply answer any questions that you may have.

In strength and longevity,

Edward Scaduto

I was recently asked a question about weight loss.

“Can I eat peanuts and strawberries or can they make me fat?”

I thought about it for a few seconds and responded, “Anything can make you gain weight.”

I then shared a few words about calorie balance. If we eat more calories than we burn in a day, we end up gaining weight. It works in reverse too. If we eat fewer calories than we are burning each day, then we put our bodies into a weight loss scenario.

Peanuts are a good snack in moderation and so are strawberries. You can do much worse than those two foods when it comes to eating snacks.

I then asked my client what prompted her to ask such a question.

She said she read it in a diet book written by a celebrity trainer. In the book the trainer lists several items that you shouldn’t eat because they interfere with the weight loss process. That’s when I said half-jockingly, “Next thing we’ll hear is that broccoli will make you fat”. She responded with “Yes, that’s on the list too”.

You can imagine the look of shock on my face.

This conversation prompted me to do some research.

Here’s what I found.

There’s a list of food items that contain a substance called Goitrogen. This naturally occuring substance is found in soy bean related products as well as cruciferous vegetables. It’s also found in other foods like strawberries, peaches, spinach, peanuts and millet.

Here’s the quick low down on Goitrogens.

If you have a Thyroid problem (diagnosed and treated by your physician) then these types of food items can interfere with the your Thyroid function. If you have a Thyroid problem you should avoid these foods as they can make it even more difficult to lose weight. As a reminder, when you have a medical condition, you should always consult with your physician or dietician when making any dietary adjustments.

Here’s the catch.

There is no evidence that these foods have any negative effect on your weight or health when you don’t have a Thyroid problem. In fact it’s just the opposite. These food items add much to your health and fitness with the nutrients provided.

The take home message is to be careful with what you read and the advice you follow. It’s easy to hear, read or see information that may sound relevant but it may not apply to you.

Ask yourself do these recommendations actually apply to my situation? Are they making general recommendations designed only for specific individuals? Or is it just marketing and hype to sell a book or another product?

As you can guess, celebrity trainers can have a big influence on many people. They have a lot of clout. They look great, the’re on TV, and when they say something it’s easy for us to want to follow their advice.

Yet, we have to pause and ask those important questions no matter how new, exciting or relevant the advice may seem.

Does this really apply to me and my situation?
In strength and longevity,

Edward Scaduto

Image by © Michael A. Keller/zefa/

Throw out the scale. Just throw it out.

I know, I know.  I’m being a bit over dramatic here so you don’t have to junk pile it, just give it away.

O.k. Don’t give it away, but at least hide it in the closet so it’s out of sight and you won’t feel compelled to use it.

You really don’t need it to reach your goal anyway.

Reasons to get rid of your scale.

We “diet” to “lose weight” and track weight loss by using a scale.

We think the scale can accurately capture our progress. Unfortunately, it doesn’t. It’s neither a good indicator of fat loss nor does it give a good picture of your fitness level.

If anything, it can add even more frustration to the process of losing weight.

Here’s what I mean.

1. It only measures body weight

Duh, you know that already.

There is one big problem with this.

Losing weight doesn’t necessarily mean you’re losing fat.

You could just be losing water or more importantly, you could be losing precious lean muscle mass.  Losing lean muscle mass slowly decreases your metabolism over time, thwarting any attempts of accomplishing your ideal physique.

If you take two individuals who both weigh 150 pounds but one has 10% body fat while the other has 20% body fat there is a drastic difference in how they look, even when they weigh the same.

That’s why it’s more about how much body fat and lean muscle you have, the weight is irrelevant to how you look and feel. Less body fat and more muscle is your way to a better physique.

2. Water can swing your weight up and down

Have you ever followed your diet program to the “T” only to step on the scale at the end of the week and find that you’ve gained weight?

If you’ve experienced this before then you know how frustrating it can be. If you’re not losing weight why bother? Right?

Before you give up consider this, your fluid levels fluctuate based on the needs of your body.

If you dropped 7 pounds in one week there’s a good chance a large portion of that weight loss was water, up to 6 pounds.

As a result, your body must now retain more of the water you drink to make up for all fluids lost from the previous week. We then see little to no change on the scale or in some cases weight gain.

3. It’s out of your control

You can follow your diet and do everything right but still not lose weight.

How is this possible?

There are numerous variables that can have a big impact on your body weight.

When you take into consideration the time of day, the amount of food you may have just eaten, sodium intake from the previous and current day, carbohydrate intake, scale calibration, water retention and muscle gain you can begin to see how little control we have on accurately measuring our body weight at any given time.

That’s playing a high stakes game with your frustration levels so avoid this mental setback by avoiding the scale all together.

Here’s something you can be more confident about.

Focus your energy and time on creating the behaviors that move you toward improving your health and sculpting a better physique.

This can be done by eating 5-6 small meals per day, going shopping for fresh fruits and vegetables 2 times per week, walking 30 minutes every day, eating 5-7 servings of fruits and vegetables, or resistance training three times per week.

You’ve got to track your action steps to see change.

Instead of using a scale to measure body weight, focus your time and energy using a food diary or work out log.

You’re now taking actual steps by creating certain behaviors or habits in your daily routine to help your body lose fat and improve your health.

Let your coach handle the numbers

Let your coach track your progress with your full physical measurements. He or she will have an accurate and in depth look to continuously assess your fitness program.

Your coach can then make the necessary adjustments to your nutrition or change your exercise regimen for your desired results.

So ditch the scale and let your coach focus on the game plan while you focus on taking consistent action.

It’s what makes the whole thing work without all the extra frustration.

In Strength and Longevity,

Edward Scaduto

If you need a coach or just need your measurements taken, please feel free to contact us at 719-640-0141 or email at info@precisionfitnesstrainer.com

P.S. Let me know what you think in the comments section below. Can you do it with out a weight scale? or do you absolutely need one?

“Water is the driving force of all nature.” – Leanordo Da Vinci

Photo credit: mcrub via photobucket

Feeling a little sluggish during your workouts?

Do you get the afternoon slump?

Working through that mild head ache again?

If so you may not be drinking enough water.

It’s hard to imagine that something so simple can have that much of an impact on your health.

Drinking enough fluids to keep your body hydrated can be one the healthiest things you do and it’s relatively easy to accomplish.

Yet it’s my experience that it’s often overlooked. It may be that it’s just too basic or too simple to demand the attention it deserves.

Whatever the case may be, proper hydration has a large impact on your health as well as on your workouts.

The Health Benefits

Here’s a list of why drinking plenty of water is so important.

1. Adequate water balance is vital for protecting organs and tissue.

2. Water lubricates joints and even acts as a shock absorber for the eyes and spinal cord.

3. Regulates body temperature by sweating.

4. Helps dissolve nutrients and helps to carry these nutrients and oxygen to our cells.

5. Helps control caloric intake and appetite.

Dehydration

Perhaps the biggest benefit of drinking water is that it prevents dehydration.

A state of Dehydration occurs when your drinking less water than what your body needs.

Dehydration can cause some serious health problems.

Even with just mild to moderate dehydration you can experience symptoms of fatigue, dizziness and even headaches. With severe dehydration you may experience low blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, loss of the ability to sweat, unconsciousness and even death.

Dehydration and Exercise Performance

Dehydration can have a big impact on your performance as well. If you become dehydrated during exercise your aerobic capacity is reduced (your bodies ability to deliver oxygen to the muscles and body).

It also results in an increased body temperature, heart rate, perceived exertion and possibly an increased reliance on carbohydrates as fuel source. Depending on the severity you may also experience reduced muscle endurance and strength, cramps, reduced motor skills, and fatigue.

So what does this mean for your exercise program and your results?

It means your going to struggle, and you’re going to struggle big time. You’re going to hit the “wall” sooner and severely reduce your fat burning potential.

How Much Water Do You Need?

So how much water do you need on a daily basis?

There are no concrete rules as to how much you should drink. There are however, some good general recommendations that can give you a good starting point.

For Starters:

Start by drinking “8 of 8”. That is, drink 8 glasses of 8 ounces of fluids every day.

It’s a recommended minimum to drink 64 oz of fluids daily, chances are you’ll need more but drinking 64 oz is a nice goal to work towards.

Advance Recommendations:

If your looking to get more specific with how much fluid your body needs then try this recommendation.

Drink half your body weight in ounces every day.

Let’s use a quick example. If you weigh 150 pounds, then you should drink 75 ounces (150 pounds/2). This method is more personalized and you may find that it meets your body’s hydration demands better than the recommended 64 oz.

Apply It – Your Action Plan

Now it’s up to you.

Information and knowledge is great but it’s meaningless unless you put consistent action behind it.

Start planning on how your going to get this accomplished each and every day.

Here are a few action steps that I recommend.

1. Get in the habit of drinking two glasses of water upon waking up in the morning.

2. Bring a bottle of water to work.

3. Schedule water breaks away from your desk during your work day.

4. Have water with all your meals and snacks.

5. Drink water during your workouts. You’re going to take breaks anyway, might as well benefit from the down time.

Pick One Action Step

All you have to do is pick one action step mentioned above and work on it for a month or two.

Before you know it that one action step nailed down to a habit.

Then you’re ready to take another step towards better health and greater fitness.

In strength and longevity,

Edward Scaduto

Please leave a comment below and let us know how you are planning to increase your water intake. Or if you already drink more than 64 oz. then share with us how you do it. We’d love to hear how you’ve created this healthy habit.

Colorado Springs Personal and Group Training

Many personal and group training programs focus primarily on altering physical appearance. Their programs help you lose weight, improve muscle tone and increase cardiovascular conditioning. This all sounds great. The question is, what price is being paid in order to accomplish these changes?

In big box gyms, the injury rate to new members is staggering. It’s estimated, based on random surveys, that close to 40% of their new members obtain an injury during the first six months of their membership. That leaves a lot of folks in pain and unable to make progress towards their goals.

The “no pain, no gain” philosophy is perhaps out of vogue but it’s still commonly practiced among personal trainers and group fitness instructors. It can be found in boot camps, cross fit gyms and also at home with programs seen on TV.  The problem with the no pain, no gain philosophy is that it leads to over training and greatly increases your chance of injury and once hurt you’re less likely to actually accomplish your goals.

Here’s the deal, you don’t have to hurt in order to improve your fitness levels. You don’t have to suffer from chronic injuries to lose weight. Just like it’s not necessary to spend countless hours doing cardio for the sake of burning calories. You can get stronger, healthier, and leaner by implementing a program that improves your movement and challenges you physically while allowing adequate time to recover. Combine this with eating healthy whole foods and you’ll consistently see improvement while staying injury free and improving your over all health.

Here’s a quick look at our approach to Personal and Group Training.

We have a movement first approach. Starting with your warm up all the way to your recovery, every aspect of training is movement focused. The reason? No matter your personal goal, you’re going to need to move correctly and move often in order to accomplish it. If you add over training to incorrect exercise technique you have the perfect recipe for injury. That’s why our training emphasis is on learning and eventually mastering the movements needed to accomplish your goal. This sets you up for an injury free training program that provides improved health and an increasingly better looking physique.

A good program contains several key components. Planned progression will help take you where you are now to where you want to go. A solid program also improves your weak points so that they no longer limit your ability to perform and get results. Movement assessments help your coach identify your weak points so that a program can be designed to address them. This results in a safer and more effective program customized for you and your needs.

Recovery is crucial to long term success. One can avoid common training injuries by not over training and making sure you have optimal recovery between sessions and with each phase of training. Weaving active recovery like corrective stretching, movement recovery, mobility, yoga, and even Tai Chi into your training can help you become stronger and move better with each passing day.

Less machines means more function and better results. Machines provide support and stability and therefore a false sense of strength. Unfortunately, if done too long your body becomes imbalanced as the extremities strengthened by machines surpasses the strength of your core. This imbalance leads to injuries related to your spine, shoulder blades and hips as they try to keep up with strong arms and legs. By working with body weight, dumbbells, barbells, club bells, kettle bells, medicine balls, etc. we improve the function of your core and your stability while increasing your over all body awareness, coordination and function. This not only leaves you feeling like you had a great work out, you also begin to create a smarter body that is more resilient to injury.

Our approach to nutrition is a simple one. Return to eating healthy, whole real foods. Diets are not the answer and making long term habit changes are the focus. We’ll guide you to make the small changes that will add up to the big changes in how you look, feel and perform.

Our training programs are designed to improve your movement patterns, fortify your physical and mental strength, and increase your body’s ability to recover. Train just long enough to create a positive response but short enough to allow adequate recovery. This provides a long term, intelligent and healthy approach to fitness that allows you to fully express your physical ability.

It’s not an easy road and it takes a lot of work but with dedication and consistent effort you’ll transform the way you look, move and feel.

If you have any questions on our personal or group training programs or would like to schedule a complimentary fitness evaluation, please don’t hesitate to call or email us at (719) 640-0141 or info@precisionfitnesstrainer.com

In Strength and Longevity,

Edward Scaduto